Method and apparatus for protecting burners



July 23, 1946- J. L. ANDERSON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING BURNERS Filed April 24, 1942 INVENTOR JAMES L. ANDERSON BY Z ATTORNEY Patented July 23, 1946 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING BURNERS James L. Anderson, Closter, N. J., assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York N. Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application April 24, 1942, Serial No. 440,295

8 Claims.

This invention relates to methods for p ting gas burners from acquiring deposits of foreign matter that would build up on the burner and eventually obstruct or clog the burner orifices;

and to apparatus for carrying out the method.

In its broadest aspects, it is an object of the invention to prevent, or minimize, the accumulation of particles from a Work piece on the face of a torch or burner that is being used to heat the work piece. Such particles are sometimes aspatter of the material of the work piece, but in other instances the deposit is made up of particles formed by reactions incident to the heating or working of the work piece, such as oxides generated in the reactions.

The invention will be described as applied to glass working burners since certain glass'working operations cause such a rapid accumulation of material On the torch or burner that it has not been practical continuously to perform these operations by means of oxy-fuel gas flamess Sometimes there is a visible spatter of material from the glass-to the burner, but at other times burners become coated and their orifices obstructed and thenclogged. within a short time with no noticeable spatter. Apparently there are microscopic particles thrown off against the face of the burner at velocities high enough to ad- Vance against th gas streams.

I have found that a film of water or moisture completely covering the burner and a sheet of water interposed between the burner and the work prevent the deposit of material on the burner. If the particles are not soluble in the water they are at least chilled so that the "do not adhere easily, if at all; but in the case of glass working, the material that coats the burners is entirely, or to a large extent, soluble in water. In accordance with one featureof the invention, a sheet of water is maintained in front'of the burner for dissolving the foreign matter-that would otherwise accumulate on the burner and obstruct the gas flow. It may be said, therefore, that it is anotherobject of the invention to provide a sheet of water in front of a burner to keep the burner clean and prevent the orifices from becoming. obstructed.

Another object is to obtain th water, for protecting the burner, by condensing the water vapor in the products of combustion formed by the burner flames. If hydrogen is used as the fuel gas, there is an ample supply of water vapor.

If natural gas, city gas, or other fuel that generates insufficient quantities of water vapor is used, then water is obtained from some other source.

. 2 g In the preferred embodiment of the invention a condenser plate is located in front of the burner and water vapor in the products of combustion condense on this plate and the burner as well. In a modified embodiment, the-plate is flooded'with water from a supplypipe.

Other objects, features and. advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the specification proceeds. r I

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof: j

Fig. l is a side view, partly in section, showing a torch protected from the deposit of foreignmatter in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a front View of the apparatus shown in Fig l,but with much of the plate broken away to show the torch or burner.

Fig. 3 is a top view of "the apparatus shown-in the other views, and with the plate in section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing a modified form of the invention. Q A mixture of oxygen and fuel gas is supplied to a burner or tip ll through pipes I6 and 16. The tip shown in the drawing is made up of a burner block portion l3 and a number of tip elements I4 and I4. There is a jet orifice l5 opening through each of the tip elements l4, and ,a jet orifice l5 similar tothe orifices l5, except for its smaller size, opening through the tip element 14. Because of-the difference in size of the orifices in the tip elements 14 and [4, separate gas distributing chambers for these orifices are provided in the tip block, and gas mixtures for the respective distributing chambers are supplied from separate mixers. The gas mixture for the tip elements i4 is supplied through a pipe l6 and that for the tipelement l4 through a, pipe 16'. t

The tip or burne block is water cooled. Tubes I1 and I1 connect with the cooling fluid pas sages l8 within the block and serve as the con duits for the supply and. discharge of cooling fluid. Sufficient cooling liquid is supplied to keep the block and the tip elements at a temperature low enough to cause water vapor to condense on them.

A metal condenser plate or shield 19 covers the face of the tip and is located just in front of the ends of the tip elements I4 and is connected with the block element of the tip by end members 20. There are openings 2| in the plate ill in register with the jet orifices I5, l5of the tip.

The condenser plate [9 is cooled by circulating a cooling fluid, such as water, through a torplate [9 and the work piece 25,

tuous tube 23 that is secured to the back; of the I plate l9, preferably by silver solder 24.

In the operation of the burner, the streams of gas from the jet orifices I are projected through the openings 2|. in the shield 19 and toward a work piece 25. The tip or burner II is for piercing glassware, but it; will be under-,

. stood that a similar shield can be used with torch" tips for reaming, cutting, welding, or other op-.

erations.

The oxy-fuel gas mixtures burn between the Some of" the products of combustion come into contact with in the-frontofthe plate. The tip. elements 14) extend into the recesses, and the protuberances around the openings 2| "are a precaution against the passage of the water into the openings 2!.

The'reare large amounts of water vapor in the products of combustion of hydrogen, but-in the caseof certain other fuel games it is necessary to supply water from some othersource.

' Fig. 4 shows a pipe 26 at the top of theplate l9. Jets of water '21 are sprayed against the front of the plate I9 from the pipe 26 and cause, a

sheet of water to cover thefront face of the plate and run down the plate. If 'sufficientwater is supplied from the spray pipe 26, the cooling tube 23 can be dispensed with; There is an advantage in limiting the amount of water that flows down the front of the plate l9, however, because an excessive quantity of water will cause some of the water to get into the gas streams and be projected against the work.

Changes and modifications can be made in the that projects flame jets against a glass workpiece, the method of protectingthe burner from becoming obstructed comprising continually producing a sheet of water between the burner and v the glass.

4. In the use of oxy-hydrocarbonfuel gas burners forglass working operations in which flames the face of the plate I9 and water vapor in the from such burners are projected against the glass,

the method of preventing the accumulation of spatter on the tip, which method comprises in' imposing a metal'plate between the burner and the glass work-piece, projecting the gas jet or jets from the burner through openings in the plate, and cooling the plate from the backto a temperature less than the boiling point of the water vapor in the products of combustion of the 'oxy-hydroca-rbon fuel gas flames so that water illustrated embodiments of .the invention, and

some features of the invention can be used without others V I claim: 7

1. Th method of preventing spatter from a 7 work piece from accumulating on a burner, which method comprises interposing a perforated plate between the burner and the workpiece, and continualiy producing a sheet of liquid on the side of the plate confronting the work piece.

,2. The method of protecting an oxy-hydrocarbon fuel gas burner from becoming obstructed j by the deposit of foreign particles, comprising cooling a surface immediately surrounding the gas jet or jets that issue from the burner itself to a temperature substantially less than the boiling point ofjwater so that water vapor in the prodvapor in the products of combustion condenses on the plate and burner and .maintains the front of the plate and the burner wet.

5. Burner apparatus including a tip with a face through which a jet orifice opens, a plate covering the face and spaced from. said face, a perforation in the plate in register with the jet orifice, means adjacent the plate for causing water to cover the side .of the plate away from the tip, and a protuberance on the'side of the plate away from the tip and surrounding theperforation forpreventing water from or into said perforation.

6. The combination with a burner having an orifice for projecting a jet of gas against a work piece, of a shield in front of the burner andwith a perforation in register with said orifice, and a spray pipe in position to spray wateron the face of the plate that confronts the work piece. '7. Burner apparatus including a tip having a block portion, a plurality of tip elements projecting from the block portion, a metal plate covering the ends ofthe tip elements and having dents therein that form recesses into which the ends of thetip'elements extend, said dents forming protuberances on the side of the plat away connecting the plate to the block portion or the ucts of combustion condense on said surfaces 3. In glass working by means of a gas burner and keep the surfaces wet while the burner is in l operation.

tip, and a tortuous tube silver-soldered 'to the face of the plate nearest the tip elements for cooling said plate to a temperature low enough to cause condensation of water vapor on the side of the plate away from the tip elements.

8.. In the above-water heating of a work piece by means of a burner that directs one or more gas jets against the work piece, the method of preventing the accumulation of deposits of foreign matter on the face of the burner which comprises continually producing between the burner and the work piece a sheet of liquid having openings through Which the gas jets may be projected toward the work piece, and projecting the gas jets toward the work piece through said openings in the sheet of liquid.

JAMES L. ANDERSON. 

